Safety fire balcony exit



Oct. 6, 1931. ogao 1,826,448

SAFETY FIRE BALCONY EXIT Filed May 9, 192a ATTORNEY if or ends of the balc 45 Figure 3 isa'pa'rtial fro ERNEST 1300031110, or

SAFETY Y Application filedjMay a,

' This invention relates to improvements in fire escape structures as applied to the e'x 'teriors of buildings subject to fire hazards.

' Such devices ordinarily consist of balconc- B ties secured to the walls adj acently infront of Y Windows or like openingson each floor.

These balconies are generally of the lattice type andconnected by ;metal Stairways or ladders extending from 'theroof toth e lowermost landing, at some distance above the ground surface, which isfrendered ac- V cessible by a ladder normally held'in a raised position to avoid'its use as a meansof entry. Such ladders may be'disposed at the front ony, as may be most convenient. I :The present invention is an improvement over my co-pending applications, filedMarch 3, 1928, Serial Number 258,771 and April '18,

"1928, Serial Number-270,8 31 respectively, its

7 object being to provide a ladd-er support atvtached directly to the Wall of the building adjacent the end of the balcony and having novelmeans for guiding andsupporting the counter-weight with which the ladd 18PM i nbvided. v-- i J Another object is in the provision'of an in J 1 I expensive form of counter-weight wellsuited f forthe purpose. it performs.

' Afurther object is to provide means carried by the balcony adapted to prevent sway- I ing of the'ladder and to preclude it from mov- 'ing downward inopportunely.

o novel construction and combination of parts rtial plan view of alcon ventional fire escape balcony showing an 9111- bodiment of theinventi'on as attached;

7 '7; Figure 2 is .an end elevational yiew'of the balcon ,theladderand its associated elements being in front elevation." f Y nt elevational view ;ofa slightly modified' form of the same.

; Figure 4 is a partialside elevational, partial longitudinal sectional view of a preferred type of ladder counter-weight in detail.

C9 1 Referring to the drawings i'ngreater dehese several ob e'etsare attained by the 1928. S er ial no, 276,273;

tail, thelnumerallO designates in general the waHbfa building and 11a conventional fire escape-balcony attached to it, the same consistin of -a latticed platform 12 having upright bars'13 at its front and ends to support railsl iek f Therail is cut away at one end, as atl5 andone or more ofthe bars omitted in order to provide a clear passage way to a ladder 16 di'sposed normallyclosely adjacent and which, when in a raised'position, fills the gap '15 in thefence-like railing around the platform. o i I The ladder sides have between themthe usual rungs and are further-connected at their upper ends bya loop 17 to which is attached one end of a chain 18, the same being trained over a grooved pulley 19 rotatably mounted in a bracket 20 rigidly secured to the wall 10 at a point above and slightly beyond the end of the balcony as shown.

The other end of the chain 18 is attached to an eye 21 set in the end ofa weight 22 slightly in'exce'ss ofthe weight of theladder, and normally resting on a bracket 23 preferablyfixed to the walls 10, the bracket having I raised fla'nged edges 24 to prevent the counter Weight from displacement. '7 1 Although the bracket-isshown as separate from the platform, it may be considered preferable to form the same as an extension thereof rather-than as a detached or isolated member. The counter-weight maybe made of any material, as iron or'other metal, cement how'- ever being preferred,in which case it is moldedzto engagearoundan axial tube25 in which'rthe eye21 is secured, and at one side ispreferably fixed another tube 26 present ing'a clear openingthroughout the length of'the-weight,but the opening may be formed in'any othermanner. I c 'A guide rod 27 is anchored at 28 in the bracket 23 and is held centrally atits upper end, as at29, in the pulley bracket 20, the rod passingthrough tube 26, thereby acting as an eflicient guide for the weight as it is raised and lowered by movement of the ladder when required for use, and it will be understood that the bracket 23 must be 

